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energizer2009 winner 1
Bernardo Medina
Inspiration / Keep Going ®
I was captured by a cry of sadness when taking this photo, but later I realized that the amazing man probably had the heart of a lion...instead of lamenting, he had turned his life into a fight...and he wasn't going to lose it. Every time I look at it I feel a sad happiness.Jim's Comments
I have no idea where this man's story began, or where it will end, but I know the subject of the story perfectly: human courage. Head down, hunched over, hardly seeing where he's going. The picture speaks so clearly over the howl of the wind.Each and every finalist in Energizer Ultimate Photo Contest would have been a worthy winner. I'm sorry I can't award the prize to all of them. But one photo so captured the essence of the category it was entered in that I ultimately chose it as the Grand Prize winner. That photo is of the courageous bicycle rider forging ahead into the storm. I have no idea of what sort of storm this rider faced, but the photographer drew on every creative tool available to produce an image which captured the heart of the theme: Inspiration: Keep Going ®. Congratulations to one and all!
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energizer2009 winner 2
Ruston Agte
Animals / Wildlife
Kobe the polar bear out for a swim at the Reid Park Zoo in Tucson, Arizona. At first I thought the glaring sun on the water was going to ruin the picture. What a surprise!Jim's Comments
Except for the fact that he would probably eat you if he could, this polar bear is just so obviously a nice guy. All those little body gestures speak of lazy curiosity in the midst of a refreshing swim, the twinkling reflections on the water speaking of cool delight. Just kind of friendly (maybe). -
energizer2009 winner 3
Tracy Hagen
Nature
The sun only shines through this natural "door" at just the right angle to create a beam of light, for two weeks out of the year—one week before and one week after the winter solstice. In order to see this spectacular sight other conditions need to be just right as well: no fog or clouds on the horizon, and a low tide. The light does not last long, so being prepared is key!Jim's Comments
Nature never holds still for us and this picture celebrates that never ending change in such a beautiful way. The magical shaft of light will soon be gone, the tides will transform the waves, the eons will change the rocks. And such a vocabulary of color! -
energizer2009 winner 4
Bernardo Medina
People / Cultures
Once upon a time in southern China...a boy and the sea.Jim's Comments
For all the stunning beauty of this landscape with the exotic sky and the sweep of the boats, it is the boy whose presence transforms this picture into an act of contemplation. The horizon is lost in some cloudy infinity, the boy is lost in his thoughts. Nice. -
energizer2009 winner 5
Glenn Traver
Travel
Taken at Ocean View Fishing Pier in Ocean View, Va. This is an early morning shot just before sunrise. I shot this @ ISO 50 F-22 fpr 99 seconds @ 54 mm using a Canon 24-70 L lens with a Singh Ray Galen Rowell 3 stop soft GND filter. It was a very quiet morning with all the serious fisherman at the end of the pier.Jim's Comments
It would be fruitless to talk about this picture without marveling at how those subtle colors transmit some subtle emotion we can't quite distinguish but which is just as powerful as it is serene. The composer Debussy could do this with music. Something like the power of a whisper. -
energizer2009 winner 6
Frederick Abels
Weather
I shot this on the island of Moorea, French Polynesia, in 2004 just as a storm was approaching the lagoon. The sun was beginning to set and the clouds were lit up beautifully. The sky only remained this way for a few minutes before the rain came.Jim's Comments
It is the rare actress who can manage to be so seductive or sultry as this scene. The colors are subtle, the water tranquil. But it is the chair that keeps tempting me, promising some escape into a timeless moment.
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Jim Richardson
Judging the contest will be award-winning photographer Jim Richardson, whose work has graced the pages of National Geographic and other publications.
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Jim Richardson's Gallery
National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson has travelled the world during his long career. Check out a selection of images from his travels!
A Message From Energizer® Ultimate Lithium
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Categories
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Category 1Animals / Wildlife
Whether it's our family pet in the living room or magnificent wildlife in Africa, the animals and wildlife of our world bring us delight, affection and wonder. Winning pictures in this category will bring back all the personality, devotion, excitement, and shared experience we feel with our fellow beings on this planet.
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Category 2Nature / Weather
The natural world has always made great pictures. And the weather that shapes our environment can be a subject unto itself. Either way, pictures in Nature/Weather will focus on wilderness, landscapes (and seascapes), nature's incredible variety of flowers and plants, and the wonders of geology and geography. Weather, always part of our daily world, brings with it every emotion from awe to tranquility. Strong emotion in these scenes will set winning pictures apart. Note: Animal pictures belong in the Animals/Wildlife category. But a beautiful, grand landscape of Africa with the inevitable zebras in the distance belongs in Nature/Weather.
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Category 3Travel / Cultures
Our travels around the world bring us in contact with the incredible variety of human cultures. These pictures—whether of native dress, festivals, food, celebrations, history or architecture—will celebrate the vast and colorful variety of how people express their human nature and what they value, from one side of the planet to the other. Note: Interesting people and characters you meet while traveling belong in this category. Pictures of your family and their antics, even while traveling on vacation belong in the Family/Community category.
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Category 4Family / Community
Family/Community is about the people we know in our daily lives and the places where we live every day. This could be halfway around the world, but it's more likely in your hometown—or in your kitchen. Family, friends, children, grandparents, neighbors and complete strangers fill lives with humor, love, emotion and meaning. These pictures don't have to be close to home, but they should be close to our hearts.
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Category 5Arts / Music
New for this year, the Arts/Music category will feature pictures that celebrate how music and the arts enrich our lives. Concerts and art galleries would certainly qualify for this category, but so would intimate jazz sessions, pub music in Ireland, and high school marching bands. The arts are everywhere around us, from art fairs to Halloween pumpkin carving, from grand public art and murals to children's fanciful sidewalk chalk drawings. It's all welcome in Arts/Music.
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Category 6Action / Energy
When things move into high gear, when the picture is all about the energy and beauty of things in motion, when you can just feel the electricity of the action, that's Action/Energy. Sports action pictures are a natural for this category, but so are pictures of animals galloping at high speed, and the dogged efforts of the long distance runners. Pictures here will almost always show things happening. Keep it lively.
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Jim and Energizer Batteries
The Galaway Inn was alive with Irish music, packed wall to wall with people and like all Irish pubs, very dark. My Energizer-powered flash units lit up the scene—the musicians kept playing, the energy was fantastic, the action never let up and my camera outlasted us all.
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